


all i need, darling, is a life in your shape

by deoxyribonucleotide



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, Hwang Hyunjin is Whipped, Insecurity, Kim Seungmin is a Sweetheart, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:22:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26652115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deoxyribonucleotide/pseuds/deoxyribonucleotide
Summary: Seungmin is a self-confessed nerd and the president of the robotics club, so he doesn’t know what the school’s it boy Hwang Hyunjin stands to gain by associating with him.
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin
Comments: 9
Kudos: 182





	all i need, darling, is a life in your shape

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is inspired in large part by [this tweet](https://twitter.com/T0YB0NNIE/status/1308254419537072128) and some of the replies to it. Like I swear, I read it and the whole thing just screamed Seungjin to me.
> 
> Fic title is from a [song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g685pAuKW34) by Mitski. One day I will quit using lyrics as fic titles, but today is not that day.

The library is tranquil and quiet—perfect for an afternoon of studying—until someone comes along and breaks the peace.

“Good afternoon, Seungmin!”

The same someone slides into the wood-backed chair next to Seungmin. Frowning, he turns to speak to his new companion. “Pipe down, Hyunjin. We’re in the _library,_ if you weren’t aware.”

“Sorry,” Hyunjin says, cocking his head and making the soft black bangs framing his face flutter slightly. He doesn’t look sorry at all. “I guess I’m just excited to see my favorite person in school, huh?”

“Right,” Seungmin says, returning to his book. This chapter on antidifferentiation is quite interesting.

“Anyway,” Hyunjin says, and then he’s gently taking the book Seungmin is reading and closing it. “I think that’s enough studying for now. That’s all I see you do these days. Wanna hang out?”

Seungmin looks at Hyunjin blankly. “Who put you up to this?”

“Rude!” Hyunjin cries, but thankfully it’s at a fraction of the volume he’d used earlier in yelling Seungmin’s name. “I thought we were friends!”

Seungmin laughs at Hyunjin’s offended expression. “I’m kidding. We are, Hyunjin, stop pouting.”

“And because we’re friends,” Hyunjin says, bright-eyed and determined, “let’s go somewhere.”

“Where?” Seungmin asks. He’s already feeling that type of resignation he thinks is reserved for Hyunjin—resignation that _isn’t_ resignation, not in the fullest sense of the word. Seungmin might never say it explicitly but spending time with Hyunjin is actually fun.

Hyunjin smiles brilliantly, knowing full well that he’s convinced Seungmin already and all he had to do was show up. “I’m thinking the arcade,” he says, “and then we can get snacks at the booths outside before going home? What do you think?”

“It sounds great,” Seungmin says honestly. “Are we going now?”

If possible, Hyunjin smiles even wider. “If you want, yeah! Should I return this book for you?”

“Don’t worry, I got it,” says Seungmin, standing up. With both hands, he picks up the heavy book. “I don’t want you to put it in the wrong place again. The librarian’s strict with his sorting like that.”

“That was once and you know it,” Hyunjin says, pouting again. Cute.

“Uh-huh,” Seungmin says, laughing as he sees Hyunjin’s pout deepen. Walking to the back of the library, he places the book on the right shelf, taking care not to jostle any of the other books on the same row.

When he returns, Hyunjin’s on his phone, watching something on YouTube. Probably puppy videos; they’re his favorite thing right now.

“Ready to go?”

Hyunjin looks up from his phone and says, “Yeah!” A little more quietly, and almost like he’s talking to himself, he adds, “Ah, I’m so excited to go to the arcade with Seungmin.”

Seungmin doesn’t get why Hyunjin seems so happy at that prospect, but he’s not going to question it. Not when Hyunjin looks this happy, like spending an afternoon with him is the greatest thing ever.

The trip to the arcade is short, and Seungmin spends it watching the blur of the city go by. Hyunjin, seated beside him, is leaning on him slightly, pushed about by the milling crowd as he is. This is one of the few times when Hyunjin seems smaller than Seungmin; the height difference between them isn’t even that significant, but somehow Seungmin finds this detail of note.

They trade in their pocket money for coins to use with the machines as soon as they get to the arcade. Despite Seungmin’s protests, Hyunjin drags him to the DDR machine.

“This sucks,” Seungmin wheezes. Hyunjin’s just destroyed him in a song on expert mode, and he’s pretty sure he’s on the verge of death. “You’re on the track team; I haven’t played a sport since like, sixth grade. This isn’t a fair fight!”

“Aw, but you were so cute, though,” Hyunjin coos, wiping the sweat that’s gathered at his temples with his handkerchief. “And you’re not so bad, since you can actually keep up. Let’s do another round, and then you can beat me in Tekken all you want. Deal?”

“Fine,” Seungmin says, pushing another coin into the slot.

Hyunjin cheers. “Let’s try _Possession_ this time!”

“You really want to kill me, don’t you,” Seungmin groans, but he loads up the song all the same.

  


* * *

  


Jeongin’s telling Seungmin about the error-ridden block of code that he wrote yesterday when a familiar voice cuts through their conversation.

“Seungmin! Hey, Seungmin!”

Seungmin turns, and there he is again: Hyunjin. He’s wearing sporty clothes, the ones that he always does on the days they have track training in the afternoon. How Hyunjin always manages to look flawless instead of sweaty after practice is a mystery, but Seungmin supposes that’s just how he is.

“Oh, it’s you again,” he says, making sure to keep his voice as flat as possible.

At his response, Hyunjin crosses the room to playfully punch him in the chest. “Why must you always talk like you hate me?”

“I don’t,” says Seungmin. _I really don’t._ “Sorry, can you wait for a while? I’m helping Jeongin with his code; we’re almost done fixing it….”

“Okay!” is Hyunjin’s bright response, and he pulls up a chair near the club room entrance before sitting in it and going on his phone.

“Club prez, you’re close with Hwang Hyunjin, aren’t you?” Jeongin asks. They’re off on the other side of the room where Jeongin’s laptop is charging, far enough that Hyunjin won’t be able to hear their conversation. “What’s it like?”

“Annoying, mostly,” Seungmin says. He has his tongue between his teeth, editing the parts of the code that seem off. To him, troubleshooting code has always felt like something innate, so he lets his instincts guide him through editing.

“Then why are you still friends with him?” asks Jeongin, looking genuinely confused.

“Oh, he’s annoying, alright, but he’s really nice. He’s not as much of a dick as his popularity would have you believe.” Seungmin saves the file, saying, “Here. I think this is good. I got rid of the if-then you put at line 4419 and replaced it with a loop. Let’s try it out.”

They compile the code and run the program, and the robot that had so much trouble lifting its arms before moves that much more seamlessly now.

“Awesome! Thanks, prez,” Jeongin says, all happy eyes and smiles. “I wasn’t able to figure that part out. Go on, I’ll take care of unplugging everything and locking up.”

Seungmin raises an eyebrow, because Jeongin honestly doesn’t seem like the type to want any sort of extra responsibility. “Are you sure about that?”

“Yes, yes, you don’t have to worry,” Jeongin affirms. “Go on. Your date’s waiting!”

“He’s not my date,” says Seungmin, but he takes the out anyway. He figures it’s time someone aside from him minded the club room. Maybe they should put up a rotation system of some sort. That way, Hyunjin wouldn’t have to wait so long for him after robotics club meetings.

Both of them have exams in the coming week, so instead of going to the arcade, they go to a café that Hyunjin likes. Surprisingly enough, when he’s not being clingy and loud, Hyunjin makes for a good study partner. He doesn’t fidget like Jeongin does, nor does he tap random beats onto the table like Jisung.

Seungmin finishes studying for his exam in biology early, so he offers to buy more cake for the two of them. Hyunjin goes all crinkly-eyed as he says thanks.

“You know,” Seungmin says, once they’re through with their cakes and their revision. At this point, they’re just hanging around for the sake of hanging around, but Seungmin doesn’t want to go just yet. “Jeongin thought you were my date.”

“Now why would he think that,” Hyunjin says, but the curiosity in his voice belies the way he’s looking at Seungmin. Like there’s a little private joke between them.

Seungmin takes a moment to drink some water. “I know, right. Why would he?”

  


* * *

  


To be honest, Seungmin doesn’t know what he did in his past life to deserve Hyunjin descending on him every so often. He doesn’t even know how they became friends. One day, the most he knew of Hyunjin was the gossip he’d overheard from the girls seated next to him in bio class, and the next, Hyunjin was suddenly talking to him, acting like they’d known each other forever.

The first time that Hyunjin talked to him, Seungmin was shocked nearly speechless. As far as popularity went, he and Hyunjin were polar opposites: he was a self-confessed nerd and the president of the robotics club, while Hyunjin was their year’s student council representative and a member of the track team. There was absolutely no reason for Hyunjin to approach him at the cafeteria, but he did, anyway.

And it only kept happening, which Seungmin thought was the strangest part of all. Surely someone as popular as Hyunjin had better things to do than spend time with him in the library after class; or tag along with him as he ran errands for the robotics club; or help him prepare for an English presentation. Surely Hyunjin did, but somehow, he still made time for Seungmin.

The bell rings for lunch hour, and most of Seungmin’s classmates make a break for it immediately. He stays in the room, though, having brought a packed lunch. Or to be more precise, Hyunjin had met him before classes started, giving him a lunchbox full of cutely shaped food. Just like that.

A familiar head pokes into the doorframe after a few minutes. “Hey, Seungmin! How’s the lunch?”

“Really good,” Seungmin says. The lunch looks tasty: there’s scrambled eggs and fluffy white rice, a kale and shrimp stir fry on the side, and some lettuce under it all. He doesn’t recognize the character that his scrambled egg is shaped into, but he appreciates the effort.

“Is it okay if I eat lunch here with you?” asks Hyunjin.

“Hm? Oh, sure,” Seungmin replies, clearing his desk to make space.

Hyunjin moves the chair beside Seungmin’s closer to him. He then places his own lunchbox on Seungmin’s desk, which is thankfully wide enough for the both of them.

“I made a cute lunch for myself, too,” Hyunjin adds, sounding proud. He uncovers his lunchbox to reveal a set that’s similar to Seungmin’s, only that in his, it’s the rice that’s shaped into a character. “I made yours look like Purin, because you look like Purin. And I made mine look like Cinnamoroll, because my mom said I look like Cinnamoroll.”

“I have no idea who those are,” Seungmin admits.

“How could you not know them? They’re Sanrio characters!”

“Oh, like Hello Kitty,” Seungmin ventures. He knows Hello Kitty, but that’s about it.

“Yes, exactly!” Hyunjin says, enthusiastic. “Man, I need to teach you all about them sometime. This is _essential learning_. You don’t need to know so much math.”

“Essential, huh,” says Seungmin, unable to stop the fond smile that forms on his face.

“Yeah!” Rather seriously, Hyunjin declares, “The Sanrio characters are a lot more interesting than half the things they teach us here.”

“Well, that I can agree with,” Seungmin says. “Thanks for the food,” he adds before breaking up the little Purin scrambled egg and eating one of the pieces. _Sorry, Purin._

Lunchtime passes quickly, maybe a little too quickly for Seungmin’s tastes. He wishes Hyunjin could stay a bit longer, but they have different classes, so he has to leave by the end of the hour. Before he does, he takes both lunchboxes with him, promising that he’ll do this again when he has the time.

Because he’s seen the whole thing happen right in front of him, Felix asks, “Seungmin, why did Hyunjin make lunch for you?”

“Do me one better: why does he wait for you to finish robo club meetings?” adds in Jisung, having suddenly materialized beside Felix.

“I really don’t know,” Seungmin answers. “That goes for both of your questions.”

  


* * *

  


Okay, so he might not know why Hyunjin’s being like this, but that doesn’t mean he hates it. Seungmin doesn’t hate it—doesn’t hate how Hyunjin’s become a constant presence in his life. Doesn’t hate that his school days end with Hyunjin saying a soft goodbye as he alights one station earlier. In fact, on some days, Seungmin might even say that he likes it.

He won’t tell Hyunjin that, though. It’s one of those things that’s too mortifying to say out loud.

Sometimes, Seungmin wonders why Hyunjin’s like this with him. When people were kind to him, it was usually because they needed something, so his automatic assumption had been that Hyunjin needed help. Probably help with homework, since they’re in the same year. But over time, that assumption of Seungmin has lost credence—it can’t be that Hyunjin’s doing it to solicit his help for homework. They’ve studied a lot of times before, and Hyunjin, he’s found, is smart enough that he doesn’t even need the help.

So maybe Hyunjin’s doing it for the free food, but that doesn’t make any sense, either. The two of them take turns paying for food and such. If Hyunjin’s doing it for the food, the arcade games, or the cups of coffee, then he shouldn’t be offering to pay half the time.

No, it’s probably something else, Seungmin decides. Maybe he’s just being nice. Maybe Hyunjin’s just the type to go above and beyond when he’s making friends with someone. Seungmin’s friends are all pretty lowkey, but in any case, taking the act of making friends up to eleven seems like a Hyunjin thing to do.

On the opposite end of the spectrum of possibilities, it could be that Hyunjin is playing a prank on him. He’s in it for the long con, and then one day he’ll go, “Surprise! Did you think I could ever like you?” After that, he’ll break things off with Seungmin, and they won’t talk ever again.

Honestly, it’s the last option that Seungmin has the easiest time believing. Growing up, he’s had a lot of pranks played on him—so many that they pretty much slide off him at this point. So if ever that’s how this will pan out, it’s not going to hurt so much. Probably. He’ll see the joke off to the end, and maybe even laugh a little at himself once it’s over.

  


* * *

  


But Hyunjin is just so sweet and lovely, and this _thing_ has been going on for more than a month, far longer than what a prank should entail. Seungmin has been overtaken by equal parts dread and curiosity, and so one day he forestalls the inevitable by asking, “Hyunjin, why do you keep hanging out with me?”

“And then he told me—wait, huh?” Hyunjin’s surprise makes him interrupt his own story.

They’re in Hyunjin’s favorite café again, and they had been trading stories of their friends until Seungmin decided to make things awkward by asking what is possibly the most insecure question known to man.

The words have already been said, though, so Seungmin is left with no choice but to press on. He gives voice to one of the thoughts that has been bothering him, asking, “Don’t you have better things to do than spend time with me?”

Hyunjin blinks, seemingly shocked by the turn their conversation has taken. After a few seconds, he says, “But I like you, Seungmin, so being with you is the best thing ever.”

“Right…,” Seungmin murmurs. Maybe he’s too cynical for a ninth grader, but he doesn’t quite believe Hyunjin’s words. Sometimes pretty people just said anything, even things they didn’t mean.

“Don’t you like me too?” asks Hyunjin with another one of his patented pouts. His eyes are huge and sad, though. Brown and huge and sad.

“I—” Seungmin starts, and then stops. He collects himself first before saying, “I do like you. You’re one of my friends, Hyunjin. Wait—why are you frowning?”

When Hyunjin speaks next, it’s with a voice that’s smaller and more tremulous than Seungmin has ever heard before. “Just a friend?”

“Um….” _Where the hell is this conversation heading?_

“Listen, Seungmin,” Hyunjin says. He’s traded in his nerves for deadly seriousness, and hearing that somehow makes Seungmin feel worse. “I thought you’d get the idea first, so I wouldn’t have to do this… ah, this is so embarrassing… I like you, okay? I really like you. And—oh, gosh, I didn’t even _think_ about this—I’m sorry, maybe you don’t even like hanging out with _me_ and you were just being nice, or maybe you didn’t _know_ how to turn me down or something, and now you’re uncomfortable, and _ugh,_ I ruined—”

“Wait, wait, wait. Pause for a sec. You like me?”

Hyunjin laughs softly. “Wasn’t it obvious?”

“I….” Seungmin’s mouth suddenly feels very dry, and he has to rescue it by taking several gulps of water. “I honestly thought you were just being _nice_.”

“Nice,” Hyunjin repeats tonelessly.

“Or that you were pranking me, or something.”

Hyunjin cocks his head. “Pranking?”

Okay, now _this_ is embarrassing. And obviously something that the terribly popular Hyunjin has never gone through. But Hyunjin’s still watching him, confused, so Seungmin barrels on, “Like, you’d make me, um, fall for you, and then when I confess to you or something, you’d tell me it was just a joke.”

“You’ve had that happen to you?”

The ringing silence is still an answer.

Hyunjin closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and opens them very slowly before exhaling. “Listen. I don’t know who the _fuck_ would do that to you, because you’re smart, and kind, and funny, and cute, and amazing. When I saw you the first time at the robotics fair—”

“You were at the robotics fair?”

“I was _passing by_ the robotics fair,” Hyunjin corrects, “and then I saw you. It would’ve been impossible not to; you’re the club president and all. And you were explaining something—something I couldn’t get, of course—but I didn’t even care about that. About not understanding you, I mean. Just the way you were talking, all proud and happy and interested….” Here Hyunjin pauses, shooting Seungmin a brief smile. “You had all this _passion_ for robotics, and it was so cool to see. I didn’t know people could still love the things they studied. Not when high school’s basically designed to suck all the fun out of learning.”

“Huh,” Seungmin says. It’s a pretty accurate representation of the thoughts in his head right now.

“Fuck whoever did that to you, by the way,” Hyunjin adds, antipathy marring his pretty face for a few seconds. “It’s their loss if they can’t see how cool you are. I am one hundred percent serious when I say I like you.”

“O-oh.”

“Now can you tell me if you at least tolerate that as like, a concept, or if I have to run away and pretend this never happened because you actually hate me,” Hyunjin says, all in a rush. His face is redder than an apple.

“Wow,” Seungmin breathes. Great, Hyunjin’s admission has turned him into a monosyllabic mess. He forces his brain back into working order before saying, “I honestly thought this was a prank.”

“It’s not. I’m serious. I like you.” Hyunjin turns redder, if that were still possible.

“Okay.”

“‘Okay’?” Hyunjin deflates. “So you’re really _not_ gonna say it back? Alright, I think I have to go—”

He makes to stand up, but Seungmin pulls him down by the hand, saying, “No! No, I actually. Um. Like you too.”

“You _what?_ ” asks Hyunjin, eyes wide in shock, his voice rising sharply.

Seungmin wrings his hands in his lap, feeling rather thick-headed in this moment. “I just thought I didn’t have a chance in _hell,_ since you were pranking me….”

Hyunjin sighs, and then drinks some water. “I’m telling you again. I’m serious. This isn’t a prank, and it’s never been one. There are no cameras, no tricks, and none of my friends are gonna burst in to say ‘You’ve been bamboozled’….”

“Yeah….”

Hyunjin inhales and exhales again. “I just like you. A lot.”

“And I like you a lot, too.” The admission comes easily now that Seungmin knows Hyunjin’s own feelings.

The blush is still high on Hyunjin’s cheeks, and Seungmin has never seen him look quite this nervous before. “What happens now? Should I—should I ask you out?”

“I think you should? Or should I? I don’t know, honestly, you tell me. I’ve never had this happen for real before.”

“I’ll do it. Okay! Well, then,” Hyunjin says, and then he’s turning to face Seungmin directly. He’s all bright eyes and pink cheeks and red lips and shaking hands, and he’s so fucking cute it defies explanation. “Seungmin, w-would you like to go out with me?”

It’s funny how Seungmin knows the question is coming, but it still hits him hard when it does. “Yes,” he says, and then puts on the most teasing smile he can muster. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  


* * *

  


Nothing much changes after their talk in the café. Hyunjin still interrupts Seungmin’s study sessions because he wants to hang out, and Seungmin still lets him get away with it. Hyunjin still gives Seungmin lunchboxes on occasion, dropping by his classroom during lunch break so that they could eat together. And Hyunjin still waits for Seungmin to finish his meetings with the robotics club, despite him having a long and tiring go at track practice just an hour or so prior.

This time, though, the club is implementing the rotation system that Seungmin had in mind. The members were surprisingly receptive to the idea of putting away all the wires and bots in their proper places, some even pointing out that it was high time Seungmin gave some of the responsibility to them.

“Now when you guys put it that way, it makes me seem like such a control freak,” Seungmin says, feeling slightly cowed.

“You kinda are, prez,” Jeongin replies, laughing. “Leave it to us. The room’s not gonna blow up just because you left it unsupervised for twenty minutes. And besides….”

“Besides what?”

With impeccable timing, Hyunjin chooses that exact moment to arrive. “Hey, Seungminnie! Ready to go?”

“Yeah. I’m going now, guys,” he adds in a voice loud enough to carry across the room. He waits until he hears a wave of affirmations before he hitches his backpack up his shoulders.

“Nice nickname, by the way,” Jeongin snickers. “You two are getting real close these days, huh?”

“You got that right,” Seungmin says, not even bothering to deny it. He meets Hyunjin outside and greets him with a smile. “Hi, Hyunjin.”

“Hi!” Hyunjin responds cheerily.

He winces as he moves his arm slightly, prompting Seungmin to ask, “Want me to carry those for you?”

“Oh! Thanks,” Hyunjin says, passing over his gym and shoe bags to him. “Coach had us doing _so_ many arm workouts today, it was actually insane. Like, we’re going to run, not participate in a deadlift competition. I had no idea what came over him.”

“Sounds like a rough time,” Seungmin says, slinging the gym bag over one shoulder and carrying the shoe bag with one hand. “Want to talk all about it in the café? It’s my treat.”

“That’d be awesome,” says Hyunjin. Subtly—or maybe not so subtly because Seungmin notices it—he reaches out for Seungmin’s free hand.

“Ah, so we’re at the holding hands stage already?” Seungmin teases, enjoying the slight pinkness that his comment brings to Hyunjin’s cheeks.

“Shut up,” Hyunjin grouses, taking Seungmin’s hand in his. It feels warm. Perfect. “I know you like it, too.”

“I do,” Seungmin admits readily. “I really do.”

**Author's Note:**

> I totally ignored all of my biophysics video lectures just to write this fic. ~~I’ll edit this later after I’ve watched them (lol)~~ Edited now! ヾ(￣▽￣)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
